With Julia's fevers gone we decided to take it slow and just explore the Forbidden City, which is located about a 25 minute walk from our hotel. The crowds outside the city were thick... but the relatively steep entrance prices thinned the crowds out. The forbidden city is huge... but you're only allowed to explore certain parts of it.

After we made our way through the city, we wondered through the old alley ways via pettycart and then made our way up to the top of the garden hill overlooking the forbidden city. As Beijing is flat, the ancient emperors had the hill built from the excavations during the construction of the forbidden cities moat. Being about 40 meters hill and very wide, the hill is composed of a lot of dirt! We then made our way to the National Center for Performing Arts on the way back to the Hotel. The reflections off the water made for some pretty photos.

- Scott